Process of treating eggs.



1 though very short.

SATlzl ?AENT GBFICE.

HARRY E. THORNBUEGH, OF CHIGAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNUE T0 PERFECTION EGGCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOI3, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

-IPROCESS OF TREATING EGGS;

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that nUncH, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and 5 State ofIllinois, haveinvented a certain new, useful, and Improved Process of Treating Eggs, of which the following is a specification,

It is generally well recognized that eggs may be commercially maintainedin a state of preservation for food purposes for a considerable lengthof time and without materially detracting from their healthful conditionor their value as food. Among the various methods of preservationemployed are the freezing and drying.methods, in both of which the eggsare broken, that is, removed from their shell, and the liquid eggs arethen either maintained at a low temperature, or the greater portion .ofthe moisture is abstracted therefrom resulting in a dry product. Eggs,however, from the moment they are produced are more or less infectedwith bacteria, which increase or 5 multiply rapidly as the eggs becomeolder,

to a point where the eggs are rendered object-ionable for food purposes.Especially is this bacteria growth or multiplication true to a markedand very rapid degree .when the eggs are broken for drying or freezingpurposes. In spite of all possible commercial precautions the breakingof the eggs exposes their liquid content to an enormous and generallyrapid bacterial increase, the liquidceggs often spoiling or at leastbecoming objectionable for food purposes,within a comparatively shorttime after removal from the shell. ln'egg-breaking establish merits; theperiod'of time elapsing between the breaking of the eggs and until theirliquid content becomes frozen or dried, al.-

's sufficient in spite of attempted precaution to admit of a veryconsiderable increase in bacterial activity and oftento such an extentthat the liquid eggs reach the freezing ordrying machinery in such ahigh state of contamination as'to be undersirable or objectionable forfood purposes.

The object of the present invention is to suspend the development of thebacterial content of the eggs and perhaps destroy certain bacteria whilesuch bacterial content is comparatively low in count ordevelopment and,therefore, such eggs are at such time Specification of Letters Patent.

1,, HARRY E. Tnomw Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

Application filed April 14, 1913. Serial No. 761,112.

still suitable for food purposes. This is especially advantageous wherethe eggs are. to be broken for the purpose of freezing or drying and thetreatment is administered prior to this breaking of the eggs; because itis well understood in the art thatwhen eggs are broken there is a veryrapid increase in development and in quantity of bacteria under ordinaryconditions and if this can be avoided by treatment prior to breaking theeggs it is manifest that a great advantage can be attained. I

The treatment given the eggs is-to heat them while .in their naturalshell to a temoerature below the coagulating point of the liquid contentthereof, but above that temperature which is conducive to bacterialdevelopment, and thus arrest such development and to a certain extentdestroy it. Experiments and practice demonstrate that when eggs areheated to a temperature within the range specified and the heatconstantly maintained for a sufiicient time, the bacterial content of.the eggs will be either destroyed or partly destroyed and whollyrendered inactive. The degree to which these results are efi'ected'is,of course, dependent upon the degree of temperature within this rangeand upon the length of time to which the e gs are exposed to suchtemperature. It is quite important that such temperature to which theeggs are exposed shall be maintained below the coagulating point, whichlatter determines the upper limit of the effective range of suchtemperature, for the reason thatif the liquid content of the eggsbecomes coagulated by heat it becomes insoluble and, therefore,the-product is materially lowered in value. Of course the lower limit oftemperature must not fall below that point which-would suspend thedevelopment of the bacteria. That is to say, the lower limit oftemperature useful in this connection is that at which the bacteriacease to develop, and this I find under ordinary conditions to be about105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The length of time to'which the eggs mustbe subjected to such temperature as is used varies approximately as thetemperature varies within the range speciied. For instance, the nearerthe temperapsi results in the eggs: now. on the other hand, as thetemperature approaches the lower limit of the range, the time periodbecomes proportionately longer. In practice under usual workingconditions I have found that by heating the eggs in their shells for aperiod of from an hour to an hour and. a half at :1 temperature slightlybelow the coagulating point (say, for instance. 130 degrees Fahrenheit).very satisfactory results are obtained. At this temperature for such alength of time the contaminating and detrimental bacteria are destroyedor ren tiered inactive, leaving such eggs in prac- 1'5 ti"cally astableor neutral condition so that theymay be preserved for considerable timeand even broken and handled in various mnnnercial'ways for an extendedperiod without danger of much bacterial content developing ormultiplying to a point where the eggs are rendered objectionable forfood purposes. As before mentioned, at the lower limit of elfectivetemperature, such, for in.- stance, as around 105 to 110 degreesFahrenheit, under ordinary conditions when treated for a considerablelength of time, certain of the bacteria have their development arrested,but in practive it has been found preferable to employ a highertemperature as, for instance, around 130 degrees Fahrenheit, so as tosecure a more complete suspension of development or destruction of thebacterial content. Furthermore, a tempera ture nearer the coagulatingpoint reduces the time period to which it is necessary to subject' theeggs and, therefore. this higher temperature is advantageous from aneconomical standpoint. as well as regards physical con dition.

It will be obvious to those skilled. in the art that no specialconstruction, or appara tus, or particular agent is necessary forheating the eggs tobetreated, for these practical essentials may bewidely varied. 45 For instance, the eggs may be subjected to the heatoflive steam. or heated air. or hot fluid. but connnercially ithas beenfound more satisfactory to place the in a vat of water maintained at atemperature preterably about 130 degrees Fahrenheit for the 'necessarylength of time: it the water maintained in a flowing state a furtheradvantage arises rrom the fact that the shells of the eggs are therebycleansed. reducing the likelihood of bacteria mechanically entering theliquid content when the eggs are broken. It is well'recognizcd as aresult of the experiments by the food authorities and in egg breakingcstz'il'ilisluucnts. that the danger ofinfection from the outside of theO 6 she i during the breaking operation may be an. ially reduced byinsisting that the ope ators dry their finger tips before breaking he egs. It will e noted. likewise, that the 5 (gr: shells dry extremelyrapidly on removal from the heating water. It has furthermore been foundin practice that this heating process enables the operator to detect badeggs more perfectly. It is to be further ob served that after the eggshave been treated as above, if it is intended to break them. it ispreferable of course to maintain the temperature as nearly uniform up tothe time the liquid content is to be frozen or dried for while thetreatment is very advantageous in suspending the development ofdeleterious bacteria and perhaps in destroying some of these bacteria.it is yet obvious that. it will be more perfect in its operation ifcontinued up to the time when the drying or freezing process takes itsplace.

What I claim is:

1. The process of treating eggs which consists in heating the eggs to atemperature below the point at which the liquid content coagulates. butabove the ten'iperature at which the bacterial content grows andmultiplies for a period of time sufiicient torender the bacteria contentinactive and afterward breaking the eggs and subjecting the contentsthereof to apreserving process.

2. The herein described process of neutralizingthe bacterial content ofshell eggs which consists in heating the eggs to a temperature. ofbetween substantially 110 de' grees Fahrenheit, and 1.32 degreesFahrenheit, and prolonging such treatment until the bacterial content isrendered inactive and afterward breaking the eggs and subjecting thecontents thereof to a preserving process.

3. The process of preserving eggs. consisting in heating the liquidcontent of the egg while in its natural unbroken shell to a temperaturelower than the coagulating point of said liquid content but higher thanthe tenr perature at which the bacterial content ceases to grow andmultiply. constantly and persistently n'iaintaining this temperatureunti 'the bacterial content is rendered inactive.

sufiicient period of time to render the bac teria content ofthe eggsinactive, and ,then breaking the eggs and subjecting their contents to apreserving process while at such temperature. I

6. The process of treating eggs which consists of maintaining them at atemperature below the coagulating point and above the temperature atwhich the bacteria content thereof ceases-to grow Whilesaid eggs arebro-ken and subjected to a preserving process. I

7.1The process of treating eggs which consi'stsfof subjecting theunbroken eggs to a temperature between 110 degrees Fahrenheit and 132degrees Fahrenheit for a period of approximately one hour, and thenbreaking the eggs-and subjecting them to a preserving process Whilestill substantially at said temperature.

8. The process of treating eggs which con sists of subjecting theunbroken eggs to a.

temperature between 110 degrees Fahrenheit and 132 degrees Fahrenheitfor a period of approximately one hour, and then breaking the eggs anddrying the liquid content there of while still substantially at saidtemperature.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 11th day of April A. D.1913.

' HARRY E. THORNBURGH.

Vitnesses:

GEO. H. ZENDT, D. B. KILBQURNE.

